Compressed-air carpet-cleaner.



E. E. OVERHOLT. coMPREssBD AIR GABPBT ULBANER. APPLICATION FILED SEPT.11, 1905.

1,005,29U. Patented Oct. 10,1911.

col. UIMA mmm C0.. WASHINGTON. n. t.

j position by screws UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN E. OVERI-IOLT, 0F WASHINGTON, DISTRICT 0F COLUMBIA.

COMPRESSED-AIR CARPET-CLEANER.

nooaaeo.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Original application filed May 24, 1902, Serial No. 108,815. Divided andthis application led. September 11, 1905. Serial No. 278,010.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN E. OvERHoL'r, citizen of the United States,residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented. newand useful Improvements in Compressed-Air Carpet- Cleaners, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to compressed air carpet cleaners, being a divisionof application Serial No. 108,815 dated May 24, 1902.

My object is to provide a machine lfor cleaning carpets on the floorwhich will readily remove carpet as well as from the top thereof,thereby cleaning not only the carpet but also the floor; which will beunusually light for handling: and which will do the required work with aminimum expenditure of air.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical transverse sectionof Fig. 2 taken on the line 11 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a plan view showingthe bottom of the device. Fig. 3 is a plan view of thepressureequalizing plate, and; Fig. 4 is a sectional view of thenozzleron an enlarged scale, showing the means of securing the same tothe body of the device, and of adjusting it relatively thereto.

The numeral 1 designates the body of my device, having on its top sidean air chamber divided into upper and lower compartments 2 and 3respectively by the l'ngitudinally extending plate 4. The compartment 2communicates with a pipe 5 which is connected with a source of supply ofcompressed air. The plate 4 is supported in On the under side of thebody 1 is a downwardly extending nozzle 7, surrounded by the downwardlyextending continuous flanges 8 and 9. These flanges extend to theworking plane of the body 1, and are adapted to rest upon the top of thecarpet; while the nozzle 7 projects beyond said plane to be forciblypressed into the pile of the carpet, and to be deeply embedded therein.By this arrangement a great part of the weight of the device is borne bythe nozzle, care being taken that the iianges 8 and 9 shall not projectbelow the working plane of the device, as that would cause said flangesto support a perceptible part of the weight of the device, and would bythat much lighten the pressure upon the nozzle 7, which is notdesirable.

dust from underneath the The nozzle is secured to the body 1 by means ofscrews or bolts as illustrated in Fig. 4; and between the nozzle 7 andsaid member may be interposed, from time to time, one or more strips ofthin material 10 to increase the projection of the nozzle to compensatefor wear on the working face thereof, and to adapt the nozzle for use oncarpets having pile of more than the ordinary depth. The nozzle has acentral outlet 11 and the width of this outlet may be regulated by thescrews 12.

When the device rests upon the surface of a carpet the flanges 8 and 9form chambers surrounding the nozzle with one chamber surrounding theother chamber. The chambers underneath the machine are adapted to be putinto communication with each other when desired by means of the conicalopenings 18 in the flanges. These openings receive the plugs 14 when itis desired to cut off communication between said chambers. The body 1 isprovided with similar openings and plugs 15 and 16 respectively. Asuitable curved rod or bar 17 is secured to the top of the body 1 andsupports a dust hood. The equalizing plate 4 has apertures for thepassage of air from the chamber 2 into the chamber 3. These aperturesare smallest at the point opposite the air inlet where the pressure ofair is the greatest, and they gradually increase in size toward the endsof the plate toward which the pressure gradually becomes less, therebyserving to equalize the air pressure throughout the entire length of thechamber 3 and of the slit 11 leading therefrom through the nozzle.

In operation, the body 1 rests fiat upon the carpet with suificientpressure only to prevent the dust-laden air from escaping around thesides 18 thereof,the nozzle being arranged to project suiiiciently tosupport the rest of the weight of the device; so that the nozzle ispressed forcibly upon the pile of the carpet, and by reason of suchpressure is deeply embedded therein. Hence it will be seen that thatportion of the carpet which is being acted-upon at any giveninstant-namely, the portion immediately beneath the nozzle-is literallycompressed between the nozzle and the floor, so that the blast of air isdelivered, not upon loose pile-or fabric-but upon compressed pile.Moreover, the air delivered under pressure is thereby not only delivereddeep down in v extending through said opening to the pile of the carpetin position to most advantageously act upon thesame, but is alsodelivered so close to the floor, that a goodly portion thereof passesthrough the carpet and strikes the floor with great force, and reboundsup through the carpet on either side of t-he nozzle, carrying up with itthe dust from underneath the carpet.

If the apertures 13 are closed the air will be compelled to dive underthe flanges 8 and 9 into the pile of the carpet and finally escapearound the edges 18 of the body member. If the plugs 14 are removed theair will not have to pass under the flanges in order to escape: and ifthe plugs 16 are removed the 'dust laden air will escape upwardly intothe h'ood.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure byLetters Patent is: Y

1; A compressed air carpet cleaner comprising a body having an opening;and a nozzle arranged to project through said opening beyond the workingface of said body. v

2. A compressed air carpet cleaner comprising 'a body having an.'opening; and a nozzle rigidly connected to said body, and a pointbelow the working faceof said body.

8. AA compressed air carpet cleaner comprising 'a body havin a chamberon `its underside, and a working face surrounding said chamber andadapted to rest on the carpet; and a delivery nozzle also provided witha 'working face adapted to engage the carpet, said face being flat 'anddisposed in a plane parallel with the working face of the body kof thedevice, said nozzle being located in said chamber at a point spaced fromthe front land rear sides lthereof and thereby adapted to engage aportion of the carpet spaced on both its front a'nd rear sides from theportionengaged by the working face of the body of the device, saidnozzle beingarranged vto project below said working face ofthe bodyofthe 'device to continuously and forcibly press said spaced portion ofthe carpet, and having 'its outlet at a point "between the front andrear sides of the working Vface of *the nozzle, whereby t-he blast fromthe nozzle is delivered into said compressed portion of the carpet at a,f point between the margins of said compressed portion, vand not at oneside or the other thereof.

4. A compressed air carpet cleaner comprising "a body having a chamberon its under side, land a working face surrounding said *chamber andadapted -to rest -on the carpet; and =a delivery nozzle `alsoprovidedwith a working face adapted to engage t'he carpet, said facebeing flat and disposed ina plane `parallel with the working face '-of'the body :of *the device, said Y p'rising a -body adapted to nozzlebeing located wholly within said chamber at a point s aced from thefront and rear sides thereofp and thereby adapted to engage a portion ofthe carpet spaced on bot-h its front and rear sides from the portionengaged by the working face of the body of the device, said nozzle beingarranged to project materially below said working face of the body ofthe device to continuously and forcibly compress between the nozzle andthe Hoor said spaced portion of the carpet, and having its outletopening in an approximately vertical direction at a point between thefront and rear sides of. the working' face of the nozzle; whereby theblast from the nozzle is delivered in a vertical direction into saidcompressed portion of 'the car et at a point between the margins of sai'compressed portion, and not atan angle at one side or the otherthereof.

5. In compressed air carpet cleaners, a body adapted to rest upon thecarpet and provided with a plurality of chambers on its under side, onesurrounding another; and a nozzle operating within the inner one of saidchambers, and spaced from the front and rear sides thereof.

6. A compressed air carpet cleaner comrest on the carpet and provided onits under side with an inner chamber and an outer chamber havingindependent dust outlets, and being arranged forcommunication with theinner chamber; a nozzle located within the inner chamber at a pointspaced from the front and rear sides thereof; and means for 'controllingcommunication between said chambers as may be desired.

In compressed air carpet cleaners, a body adapted to rest upon thecarpet and provided with chambers on its Iunder side, and vhavingopenings leading up through said body from its under side; means forcontrolling said openings as lmay 'be desired, and a blast nozzle in thecentral one of said chambers.

8. A compressed air'carpetcleaner havin an elongated air chamber and anelongated opening leading therefrom for the delivery of compressed airto the work, said chamber having a single inlet opening for conveyingthe compressed air thereinto; and means inside said chamber, locatedbetween the single inlet thereto and the outlet 4therefrom, forequalizing the air pressure at all poi-nts in said elongated outlet.

9. A compressed air carpet cleaner having an elongated air chamber andan elongated opening leading therefrom for the delivery of compressedair tothe work, said elongated `chamber having a single inlet, openingapproximately central thereof, for conveying thecompressed airthereinto; and a distributing plate inside said chamber between thesingle inlet leading directly thereinto and the outlet leadingtherefrom, said plate being provided With graduated openings forequalizing the air pressure at all points in said elongated outlet.

10. A compressed air carpet cleaner oomprising a body having a Workingface; a nozzle arranged to project beyond the Working face of said body;and means for changing the distance the nozzle is arranged to 10project.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of twosubscribing Wit- Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve centseach, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

. Washington, D. C.

